A woman was rescued from the waters of a freezing North-East marina by the children's TV entertainer Timmy Mallett, police said last night.

A woman was rescued from the waters of a freezing North-East marina by the children's TV entertainer Timmy Mallett, police said last night.

The Wide Awake Club star was on hand when the woman, in her 30s, fell into Hartlepool Marina in the early hours of yesterday.

It is believed Mr Mallett, currently starring as Buttons in Cinderella at the Billingham Forum, near Middlesbrough, was in a flat by the marina when he ran to the waterside, helped her from the water and wrapped her in blankets until paramedics arrived.

The police spokesman said he had no details of Mr Mallett's exact involvement in the rescue or how the woman came to fall into the icy water in the first place.

The woman was taken to Hartlepool General Hospital suffering from suspected hypothermia. She was later released.